Improved car-cottpling



e.' F. FAIRUE. Car Coupling'.

No; 87.158.l I A Patented Feb, 23,1869.

N. PETERSY Fhokwithogrnpher. Washngmn. D. CA

a .v W g I *te @timidi tant hnelt @time ,se

ROBERT F.v FAIRLIE, or LoNDoN,VENGLAND.g

Letters Patent No. 87,158, datedFebrmwy 23,1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making ypart of the same` To all whom 'it 'may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT F. FAIRLIE, of London, in England, have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in Railway-Carriages `and Wagons, and in the Means of Coupling them together; 'and I do hereby declare that the follouing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference being Vhad to the accompanying dra-wings,ibi-ming part of'this specification.

lhis invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of railway-carriages and wagons, and to an improved mode of couplingthem together to form a train, whereby friction is considera-bly reduced, unpleasant shocks are avoided,pthe length of the train, fora given quantity of passengers or goods, is shortened, and other advantages are obtained, as I will proceed more particularly to describe, and, for that purpose, shall refer to the accompanying drawings.

.Figure lrepresents a side elevation of the under framing only of a set of carriages or wagons, constructed and coupled together according to my invention. Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. According to this invention, the under framing, A,

of the carriages or wagons of a train, is coupled tof gether from centre to centre, vB B, of the iaming,A in lieu of being coupled at the extremities of the frames, as heretofore; and I also purpose to substitutefor the ordinary buffers, a curved abutting-surface, C, on the end of each framing, the curve being struck from the coupling-centre B.

Thel coupling or traction-bars D D may be either rigid, as shown in the drawings, or combined with the usual or other draw-springs, and may consist of chains for a portion 'of their length, and theI curved abuttingheads C O may also be either rigidly fixed to the framing, as shown at two of the couplings in iig. 2, or 'be combined with metal or India-rubber springs, for the sake of elasticity, as shown at E E in iig. 2.

The cluved ends may be lined with India rubber, and should be covered with sheet-iron plating.

The coupling-bars D D, which are connected at each end to the centres B B of the several frames of the i z carriages or Wagons, may be d1v1ded 1n the middle, as shown in my drawings, each half being connected to the other by any convenient arrangement of screw.

4the chord of the arc or curve (shown by a red line, G,

H', in iig. 2,) traversed by the wagons and carriages so coupled together, and as the vtrzwtion-force is J:hrough the said chord, the lire of draught will always, when passing over curves, be situate between the centre-line G H of the curved track and the inner rail ofthe curve, as seen clearly in iig. 2, in lieu of toutsidel the centreline, as in the ordinary coupling.

By the arrangement hereinbeiore described, the centres ofthe axles I Iof the several wagonsor carriages A, are always left in the same'relative position to or distance from each other, and lconsequently motion may be communicated from one to the other by means of driving-straps, bands, or chains, in conjunction with pulleys. fast on the axles, which will be readily understood without the necessity of drawings.

If desired, auxiliary buffers may be adapted centrally to the ends of the frames, and caused to projectbeyond the curved heads, when uncoupled, in order to vprevent shocks when the wagons or carriages are brought together for coupling up, or when otherwise subjected to shocks.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new, and desire to secure Patenty The method of coupling, by means of rods pivoted at the centre of. the trucks, having rounded ends, the rods being drawn together by right and left-hand,v screws, substantially as described, for the purpose Specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me, this 31st of August, 1868.

` .ROBT. F. FAIRLIE.

by "Letters Witnesses:

JAMES DAISH, 53 Chancery Lane. W. C. GAINER, Royal Exchange Buildings. 

